A Moment Can Change Everything
by GrimFWaters
Summary: A girl speaks up for once, and gains a friend in the beautiful Rosaile Hale. A boost in confidence is all they both need, but one may need it more than the other. Rated T. OC.
1. Chapter 1

I came out of the bathroom stall and began washing my hands. In the mirror I saw a reflection of how the rest of the world saw me. Short, not thin enough, with unruly blond curls. My black sweater was warm and comfortable, didn't draw attention, and hid my scars. I sighed, knowing I would never be pretty. I turned off the water and reached for a paper towel the same moment that she walked in. Rosalie Hale was one of the new kids at our tiny school. I had heard gossip about her family when walking down the halls, but I had my own problems to deal with and doubted most anything these kids said. I tried not to stare as she reapplied her lip-gloss and adjusted her long sleeves. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She almost looked like an enhanced version of me; taller, thinner, curves in all the right places, and perfectly tamed long blond curly hair. I stopped myself from laughing at that thought. I could never look like her.

I couldn't help but feel nervous and almost frightened as I stood so close to her. Something about the close proximity sent chills down my spine. I tried to hide my fear and not to let her notice I was watching her. She pulled her hair in front of her shoulders, partially hiding her face. I knew that move, I did it all the time. Rosalie Hale, who appeared to be the epitome of confidence and beauty, had low self-esteem. She wasn't as tough as she had everyone believing. I did something that was incredibly unlike me, only because I wished someone would do the same for me, I spoke without being spoken to first.

"Y-You shouldn't hide behind your hair." My voice sounded meek and scared so I cleared my throat before continuing. "Your hair is beautiful, but so is your face. I bet you are even more beautiful on the inside, if you let anyone see." I hadn't intended on saying that much, because I wouldn't want anyone telling me to open up to the world. From the bits of gossip I _had_ overheard, all the students claimed that Rosalie was cold-hearted, and an Ice Queen. I half expected her to tell me off. She turned to face me; my breath caught and my heart pounded as fear filled me. I braced myself for the worst, clenching my fists around the ends of my sleeves.

"Thank you." She said and for the first time, I saw one of the Cullen kids smile. The smile reached her eyes, which were a stunning gold that matched her hair. She flipped her long curls behind her shoulders and strutted out of the bathroom like a super model. I looked back at my reflection and sighed. I would never have the beauty the Cullen girls had, and I would never have a guy like one of the Cullen boys. I didn't even have any friends. But I had me, and that would have to be enough. I flipped my hair behind my shoulders and walked out of the bathroom. For once I did not watch the ground, but held my head high as I walked to the cafeteria.


	2. Chapter 2

The cafeteria was full and I was faced with the daily conundrum of where to sit. Everyone else was sitting with their friends, chattering happily away. I didn't fit in with any of the stereotypical clicks, so I didn't know where to sit. I was the quiet girl who blended in well with the background. To my surprise Rosalie Hale was waving for me to come over. I tried to remember the confidence I had felt from before as I approached her and her family's table.

"Would you like to sit with us today?" She asked. I nodded and sat down in the only empty chair. "I didn't properly introduce myself earlier, I am Rosalie Hale. These are my siblings, Edward, Alice, and Jasper, and my boyfriend, Emmett." She motioned to each person as she said their names. I nodded appreciatively though I already knew all their names. "I didn't catch your name earlier. What is it?" I pulled my sleeves down further and swallowed nervously before answering.

"Emily Snow." I told her.

"Well, it is very nice to meet you Emily Snow." She told me. "Aren't you going to eat anything?" I shook my head. Money was tight and it was a small town. If I got free lunch everybody would know, or at least that is what my father told me. Plus I couldn't afford to gain anymore weight.

"I'm not hungry. I ate a big breakfast." I lied to her face. She took an orange off her tray and handed it to me.

"You have to eat something. Our father is a doctor, and he would kill me if he found out I let you skip lunch. If it is your weight you are concerned about, you are fine. If you were fat, I'd tell you." I nodded and peeled the orange. I took a bite and was surprised by how juicy it was. Usually the school fruit was halfway dehydrated. Juice squirted on my sleeve and soaked through the thin material quickly. Edward handed me a napkin and I unthinkingly pulled my sleeve up to wipe the sticky liquid from my arm. It took a minute for me to remember my scars. I quickly pulled my sleeve back down and looked to see if the Cullens had noticed. They had. Emmett's mouth hung open in surprise.

"Why do you do that to yourself?" Rosalie asked me harshly.

"I don't. I quit a few days ago. All the scars you saw are old. The newest ones…" I cut myself off before I told them more than they needed to know. My newest scars were on my thigh. My mother had threatened to have me committed if I kept self harming. So I started attacking my thigh. I had stopped though. Four days ago I had stopped. "I promise I've stopped. I'll even go into the bathroom and you can check me for new marks. The newest one is from four days ago and has already scabbed over good. Please don't tell anyone. If you tell the teachers they'll send me to the guidance counselor, who will call my mother, who will have me committed and grounded indefinitely." I whispered desperately. Rosalie glanced at Edward before nodding.

"I believe you. Just don't do it again, okay? If you want to do that again, and you probably will, call me. I'll help you. Just don't hurt yourself. And eat this." She took a roll from her tray and handed it to me. "You look hungry." I took a bite of the roll and chewed slowly. She seemed like she was being honest, but I couldn't be sure.

"I don't have your phone number, and I don't have a cell phone." I told her honestly. "I'll be fine though." I didn't even sound convincing to myself. I picked up the citrus fruit and grain and smile halfheartedly. "Thanks for buying me lunch." I stood up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Alice asked. I had never noticed before how tiny she actually was.

"To my locker and to my next class." She shook her head.

"Classes don't start for ten more minutes, you know." I shrugged.

"I hate the crowded hallways." I informed them truthfully and made my escape.


	3. Chapter 3

I quickly walked to my locker and got what I needed for my remaining classes. I moved as quickly as I could and got to my seat in History before the bell rang. As usual the teacher was absent from the room, so I decided to use my remaining ten minutes to try to nap.

I was only able to doze for a few minutes before the room was filled with loudly chattering students. I rubbed my eyes and opened my notebook. It was sad how few notes I had taken throughout the semester, and it was a week from Christmas break already. The teacher tried to start class, but all the other students ignored him. As usual I kept my head down and stayed quiet. After some shouting and threats everyone calmed down and pretended to pay attention to the instructor drone on about the industrial revolution. To my delight the second half of class we were watching a film. As soon as the lights turned off I was asleep. I was so exhausted that the nightmares failed to penetrate my deep sleep, but I was not able to sleep on.

"EMILY!" Someone was shaking me. I sat up quickly and heard the loud alarm. I hated fire drills. I nodded at the teacher in faux gratitude for being awoken and followed the rest of the class out of the building. The brisk winter wind chilled me to the bone as it blew through my thin sweater. I half hoped that the school really was on fire, that way I would be provided with some warmth as I stood in the wind. The teacher called attendance and skipped over my name, knowing I would not answer. I preferred not to speak and he could see me easily. Over half an hour later the school bell rang and we all filed back into the warm school. I grabbed my stuff with a small groan and went to my next class: gym. Gym was my least favorite class. I was the least athletic kid in the school, and refused to do most of the things demanded of me. I aced the health portion of the class, so I always pulled out with a strong C. My gym teachers hated me but there was little they could do. How could they prove that I wasn't doing my best if they had never seen me do anything better than below average? Since no one was paying attention after the big fire drill drama, the coaches (who were all over weight) told us it was a free day. They didn't care what we did as long as it was a g rated form of physical activity. I hate highschoolers. It was sad that they had to add the 'g rated' part because of these nasty minded teenagers. While some kids played basketball others walked in circles around the gym. I chose to pace back and forth within the same ten feet for the full eighty minutes. The teachers paid me no mind. Walking was walking, right? I held back a cheer when the bell finally rang- one more class. I waited until the hall was nearly empty before jogging to computer class. I walked in the door just in time with a triumphant smile. I couldn't afford to be tardy again and get detention. I sat down in my seat and logged in as per usual. I knew what assignment we were supposed to be doing and started doing it as quickly as possible. A few minutes passed before I felt a hand on my shoulder. I almost jumped out of my skin.

"I didn't mean to frighten you; I just wanted to say hi!" I looked at the tiny girl in the seat next to mine to see Alice Cullen. I lifted a single finger from my keyboard and waved it at her which caused her to laugh. "You are funny. So what are you doing your power point on? I think it is totally lame that we have to make power points! I mean, we have known how to do this stuff for years! They teach this stuff in elementary schools. I was hoping that I would actually learn something new in this class, but oh well. It is an easy A I guess. I am doing my power point on French spring fashions versus Italian spring fashions for this upcoming year." She said this all in one breath and a low whisper. I took a deep breath before speaking.

"I am doing mine on American statistic versus American stereotypes and beliefs. Like how many people are abused or in poverty compared to what most people think the number is. I found a website that had done all these surveys on it. You would be surprised how stupid most people are." I whispered to her without looking away from my screen. The sooner I was done, the sooner I could leave.

"Before today I never heard you speak before. I thought you were a select mute." I smirked at the thought.

"No, I just prefer not to talk. Why talk when most of the time people don't listen or care what you have to say? Your sister gave me a confidence boost today is all. I am sure I'll be back to normal by tomorrow. You probably understand though, considering you, your siblings, and your parents are the outcasts of the school and town. It doesn't matter what you tell these people- they'll believe what they want to about you." I held back a small smile as I hit the print button. I stood up and Alice grabbed my shoulder again. Of course this caused me to jump again.

"Where are you going?" She asked and I shrugged.

"I am turning in my work and leaving." With that I grabbed my work from the printer and placed it on my teacher's desk. She didn't even notice me. I slipped out the door and to my locker. I shoved my books in it and left the school, overlooked by the faculty standing directly in front of the door. I was practically invisible.


	4. Chapter 4

I hugged my arms around my body and headed in the opposite direction of my house. There was a park about two miles from the school that had heated bathrooms and a water fountain that didn't freeze in the winter. What better place was there to go? I could swing until I got too cold, then I could go in the bathroom. Plus free water. I bit my lip as I began recognizing cars from the school pass by. I knew no one would notice me, people rarely did, but I was still concerned. I groaned inwardly as a shiny Volvo pulled onto the shoulder in front of me. Alice and Rose were in the backseat with the window down.

"Need a ride?" Alice asked.

"No." I told her and kept walking. They drove slowly beside me, keeping my pace.

"You have to be freezing- get in the car and let us drive you home." Rosalie ordered in a kinda nice voice.

"I'm not going home." I told her and stubbornly kept walking.

"We will drive you wherever you are going. Just get in the car before you get sick." I almost laughed at the thought. I had been walking to and from school every day since kindergarten. I had never gotten sick either.

"I'll be fine." I assured her. She opened the door and got out.

"Get in the car before I make you Emily." I looked her up and down. She was much taller than me and looked stronger. With a sigh I gave in and slid to the middle seat. The warmth of the car was pleasant. Once she was in and shut the door she smiled at me. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it? Where to?"

"The park." No sooner had I spoken, Edward was flying down the road. He pulled into the parking lot and parked in the nearest available space.

"Is someone meeting you here to take you home?" He asked. I considered lying but decided against it.

"No. I'll walk home- I usually do. I only live half a mile in the opposite direction of the school. Thanks for the free ride." I slammed the door harder than I had intended to and walked straight toward the bathrooms. I closed the old squeaky door tightly before sitting down against the wall.

"What are you doing in here?" I screamed until I saw that Rosalie had somehow managed to sneak in without me noticing. She looked afraid to touch anything in the old (unwell kept and rarely cleaned) bathroom.

"Sitting." I replied. She looked like she was considering sitting, but thought best otherwise.

"Why are you sitting in the bathroom at the park?" She asked.

"It is warm in here and cold outside." Could she not do the math herself? I rubbed my cold hands together and fought the urge to close my eyes. It was so hard to sleep in a cold house. "You may leave as you wish." I told her.

"I'll call Em when I am ready to go home- he'll pick us up and drive you home before taking me home." I didn't feel like arguing with her- plus a free ride in a warm vehicle would be nice. "So are you going to explain why we are in a bathroom, or are you going to leave me guessing." I shook my head.

"I don't talk to people." I informed her. "Today was an exception to that rule, but I am over it. So over it." I whispered the last part where she couldn't hear. Looking defeated she sat against the wall opposite of mine, facing me.

"I don't usually talk to people either, but people usually don't talk to me- outside of my family. Even they ignore me often." Rosalie frowned as she spoke. "It is mostly my fault though. I tend to be vain and selfish." At least she acknowledged her flaws. "So you don't have to worry about me telling anyone anything. Our family is pretty close-knit, but even if I talked to anyone outside of it, who would believe a Cullen?" She had a good point.

"I don't want your sympathy or pity or attention. I don't want to be made fun of either. I have bigger problems to deal with." I told her.

"You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to- but obviously something is wrong. If you don't talk to me you need to talk to someone about it, whatever it may be."

"I don't talk to people." I reiterated.

"Alright then. We will just sit here until you are ready to leave. We _are_ driving you home though. I am not letting you walk home alone, who knows what could happen?" I really didn't want her to see my house.

"I'll let you drop me off at the end of my road, but that is as good a deal as you will get." I told her and closed my eyes.

"No. We are driving you home." She insisted firmly.

"Could you keep it down, I would like to get some sleep while I can." I told her. She didn't say another word. The concrete floor and cement walls were not the most comfortable, but I fell asleep quickly. I dreamed that my family and I were evicted, kicked out of our home. Instead of going with my family I moved into the park bathroom. My family didn't even notice I was gone, but nothing was abnormal about that.

"Emily?" Rosalie was shaking my leg. I stretched painfully and blinked a few times to clear my vision. I ran my fingers through my hair with a yawn.

"Yes?" I asked.

"It is past eight o'clock and pretty dark outside. Were you planning on spending the night here?" It wasn't a bad idea. My parents didn't pay any attention to me. It had been almost a month since my Mom or Dad had talked to me. Mom had said two words

"Read this." And handed me a piece of paper. It was our eviction notice. Our house was old and falling apart. We only had a few more days to live in it, and my parents never noticed if I was home or not. Why shouldn't I just move into this bathroom? A genuine smile splayed across my lips at the thought. It was warm here, and I could get a job somewhere in town- drop out of school if I had to- and make enough money to buy food. Food, shelter, and water- the only three necessities. My smile grew at the thought.

"Emily?" I was brought back to reality by Rosalie's voice. I awkwardly stood up and hugged her. She had no idea how she had just helped me. I would go home for the night, gather what little I had left after Dad had pawned off most of our stuff, and move in here tomorrow.

"You can call Emmett. Do you think he could bring some grocery bags or something?" She looked at me skeptically.

"I'll ask." She dialed her fancy phone. "Hey Babe… Yeah we are… Could you bring some bags…" She looked at me and asked "What do you need them for?"

"For carrying an assortment of things." I was honest. All of my belongings were going in these bags.

"Would a large suitcase work or a back pack? Or maybe a purse?" I shrugged.

"Whatever you don't need." I told her and looked at the back of the bathroom door. According to the paper with names, dates, and times on it, the bathroom was cleaned on every other Thursday mornings. I would have to take my stuff out of the bathroom before I left those mornings, but aside from that hardly anyone ever came to the park- even in the summer. It only had a weedy baseball field, two swings, and a rusty slide. "I need something I can keep." I hated asking for anything, but it felt nice that she was listening and cared enough to help me.

"Get my suitcase… no, the other one… yeah… I love you, too… see you soon." She pressed a button on the screen and stuck the phone in her pocket. I was still smiling at thoughts of electricity, heat, running water, and freedom. The overflow of emotion brought the urge to cut, but I pushed it away. No more self-pitying for me. I was going to take control of my life.

"What are you smiling about?" She asked.

"Nothing that you would understand." I knew judging people was bad, but she was wearing designer clothes. I had seen her huge house and knew that her father was a really talented doctor. She probably never had felt hungry before in her life. The thought of food made my stomach growl.

"I am sure I am smart enough to understand, but I'll let that one pass. You haven't eaten since lunch, do you want us to stop at Burger King or something on the way to your house?" She asked. I had no money to buy food.

"I'll just eat when I get home." I told her, knowing the only thing in the fridge was some old ketchup packets and half of a soda that had spilled and dried up in the fridge a few months ago. Headlights shined in through the window and we left the heat of the bathroom. Snow was coming down in flurries and my teeth chattered as I climbed into the giant Jeep. Rosalie sat in the front seat and kissed Emmett on the cheek.

"Did you girls have fun?" He asked.

"I don't know about Rosalie, but I enjoyed myself." It felt nice to be honest.

"Pull over here." Rosalie told Emmett and we pulled into the Burger King drive thru. Emmett put down his window and Rosalie ordered.

"Three double cheese burgers, three medium fries, and three Cokes." She ordered and I huffed. I would eat the food, but didn't like the idea of handouts- I could take care of myself, and would take care of myself. As we pulled forward she turned around to face me. "You don't have to eat the food, but I am giving it to you. If you ever need anything- and I mean ANYTHING- ask me and I will do my best to provide." She turned back around and once they paid and got the food we were on our way to my parent's house.

"Where do I go from here?" Emmett asked once we got to the school.

"Turn right at the stop sign, and it is the first house on your right." I sighed as I looked at the house under the street light- it looked more like a neglected shack. The shutters were falling off, the paint was peeling, and if you looked closely you could see the hole in the roof. Through the front window I could see my parents in the living room… my face flushed with embarrassment. The Cullens probably couldn't tell that it wasn't tobacco in the pipes they were smoking, but small crystals that looked almost like glass. There was no way it could be seen from here, but I knew better.

"Are you going to be okay in there?" Emmett asked hesitantly.

"Home is where the heart is." I told him opening the door.

"Wait, the suitcase is in the trunk." He told me and got out of the Jeep. He handed me what looked like a larger version of a bag a dancer would carry. It had a long strap that I through over my head and went across my body. "Thanks… Are you sure that I can keep this?" I asked him.

"Rosie has way too many bags, trust me. You are doing me a favor." He winked and got back in his seat.

"Be safe." Rosalie called as they sped away.


	5. Chapter 5

Instead of going in the front door I climbed in my window. I had broken the lock on it a long time ago so I couldn't be locked out when my parents forgot I existed. I laid my new bag on my bed and began filling it. I had another pair of jeans, another pair of underwear, three mismatching socks, my alarm clock, the sheets on my bed, my pillow, a holey blanket, and half a stick of deodorant. I put everything but what I needed to sleep on in the bag before curling up on my bed for the last time. The mattress was old and lumpy, but it was familiar. I devoured the food that Rosalie and Emmett had provided and reminded myself to thank them. I had been terribly rude to them, and they had been nothing but nice to me. Food would be my new priority. I would pawn off my alarm clock to buy enough food to keep me alive until I could get a job. I put my trash in my trash can and laid back on my bed. I shivered and squeezed my eyes shut. My room didn't have a door, so there was no way to block out the sounds of my parents. I didn't want to think about them, so I tried to sleep. I flitted in and out of sleep every few minutes, which was better than most winter nights. Once I had even considered starting a fire in my room. It hadn't always been like this- at one point we had been a happy family. Dad was the county Sherriff and Mom was in charge of the homeless shelter in the city- how ironic, we were about to be homeless. Once they started doing dope, all of the money went towards buying more. Dad lost the elections because the crime rates went up- he was secretly promoting the drug dealers' businesses and the increase in dealers led to an increase of users. This led to an increase in poverty, homelessness, and prostitution. Plus people tend to do stupid things when they are high as a kite. Most of the community, the good half, was ignorant to all of this. Rich people didn't care about poor people, and poor people envied the naivety and prosperity of the rich.

It was still dark and loud when I got out of bed. I put my fitted sheet, blanket, pillow, and alarm clock in my bag. I put the strap over my shoulder and walked in the kitchen. The refrigerator was exactly as I had expected, old spilled soda and ketchup. To my delight, in the farthest corner of the cabinet under the sink- behind all of the cleaners and chemicals- were a few cans of peas. When I was younger I had despised peas, but once I had been starving, truly starving, I learned that I would eat anything if I was hungry enough. I put all three cans in the bag and tossed on a few dish towels. Maybe I could find an innovative way to use them. I zipped the bag shut and headed out the door. The sun was starting to rise on the horizon. I shivered in the cold and decided to wrap my blanket around me. I walked like this past the school and park, all the way to the pawn shop, maybe four miles total. Most things in town were on the main highway- a well kept two lane road that had six stop lights. I had never been past the sixth one- most people around here hadn't.

I opened the door to the pawn shop, glad to see that it was open so early. I tucked my blanket in my bag and pulled out the clock. I sat it on the counter and a frail looking elderly man picked it up and examined it.

"This is a nice clock." He told me.

"It works great. It picks up AM and FM radio, has a really good speaker, keeps up with the date, day of the week, and time. It also can have up to three alarms set at once. It also has a place to plug in other electronics and can be used as just a speaker." I tried to tell him what a good clock it was. My father had bought it for me when we still had money and our house looked as beautiful as the other homes on the street. Before the weeds, weather, and filth took over.

"This is a nice clock. Normally I would give you fifteen dollars for it… but since you are my first customer of the day and I know your Momma and Daddy I'll give you twenty. DO they know you are selling this?" He asked.

"Of course." I smiled politely. He opened the cash register and handed me a twenty. "Actually, could you give me ones?" I asked as nicely as I could muster. His brow furrowed, but he opened the register back up and handed me twenty one dollar bills.

"Have a nice day." He waved.

"You too." I said and went out the door. The sun was shining on the front window of the shop, making it look like a mirror. I ran my fingers through my hair until it looked halfway decent. The flash of sunlight soon disappeared. It was never sunny long around here. Ibegan my walk to school but hadn't made it past the pawn shop parking lot when two cars pulled over. Rosalie and Alice were in a sporty red car while the guys were in Edward's Volvo.

"Hop in." Alice told me from the passenger seat. I decided that declining free rides from people I (somewhat) knew was stupid. So was declining free food. From then on I would not be too prideful as to decline free things. I slid in the back seat without saying a word and put on my seatbelt.

"What did you do when you got home last night?" Rosalie asked me.

"Ate and went to bed. Thanks for the food." I told her with emotion.

"Oh that was nothing." She waved it off.

"No, it wasn't 'nothing'. It meant a lot to me. I am sorry that I was so rude yesterday when you were only trying to help me. I just had a lot of stuff going on. Would you tell Emmett I said thank you?" I asked.

"Sure thing." We were stuck in the traffic jam that was our school parking lot. "Do you need a ride home after school?" She asked.

"If it is on your way home, you could drop me off at the park again." She and Alice both sighed.

"Will you need a ride home from the park?" She asked.

"Definitely not."

"I am not letting you walk home in the dark. I don't care if you have done it before, you are not doing it again." Her voice was firm.

"It's a long story, but I don't need a ride home."

"School doesn't start for half an hour, we have time and patience. If you can't finish before school, you can during lunch." Alice informed me.

"I don't have a home to go to, or I won't soon. So I have moved out." I decided to make this as sweet and simple as possible.

"What happened? And that doesn't explain why you are going to the park." Rosalie dug for information.

"It doesn't matter. I am going to the park after school. If you want to give me a ride, that is great. If not I can walk." I leaned my head on the window.

"I'll drive you, but I would appreciate a better explanation." My stomach growled but I ignored it. I would eat a can of peas for dinner. Until then I would have to wait. I had no idea how far my twenty dollars would have to stretch.

"You won't want to hear about it." I whispered under my breath.

"I told you before that you can tell me anything. I know how it feels to be hurt. I know how it feels to be left in the streets to die. I didn't always live with Carlisle and Esme. We are all adopted, you know." I bit my bottom lip hard.

"Yeah, I know. And I am sure you don't go around telling everyone all your secrets. You don't tell people the things you are most ashamed of." I saw her expression change. She knew exactly what I was talking about. Everyone had dirty secrets, something shameful in their past. She most have had a really big secret to have that expression.

"You are right, but I have talked about my secrets. My entire family knows the things I am most ashamed of. It helps to talk about it." She offered. Alice's eyes were blank, but her expression was frustrated. **(Author's Note: Alice can't see Emily's future. She can see everything around it- but it is like Emily is invisible. After being treated like she was invisible for so long, she sorta developed a "gift". She can easily go unnoticed. Her thoughts would sound very muted and so would her emotions. Who knows what would happen if she became a vampire?) **I thought about what Rosalie said.

"You won't look at me any different or treat me any differently no matter what I say?" I asked them.

"Not at all." Rosalie smiled at me in the rear view mirror.

"I promise." Alice said firmly.

"My parents have treated me like I am invisible the past few years. We don't have any money because all the money goes to… Well they waste it. They are being evicted within the next couple days and who knows what they'll do or where they'll go. So I packed up all my stuff and decided to move out. I plan on filling out job applications after school. I just need to go by the park so I can leave my bag there." I told them nervously. They both kept excellent poker faces.

"Why do you need to take that bag to the park, and where is the rest of your stuff? You know that you can call social services and they'll put you in a foster home. Or you could call the police. There are plenty of other options. The school guidance counselor or anyone could help you." Rosalie kept all emotion out of her voice.

"This is all my stuff, and I need to leave it at the park because that is where I plan on staying until I can save up enough money to get my own place. I don't want to get my parents in trouble or to go live with strangers. I can take care of myself and I will." I told her firmly. "The bathrooms at the park are heated. I'll have free running water and a working toilet, electricity and warmth. I'll be perfectly fine. I'll have more than I have had in the past year." I told them with tears in my eyes. I blinked them away, not wanting to show weakness to myself.

"Are you sure you want to do this. There are so many other options. How old are you? Seventeen?" Alice queried.

"Fifteen, I skipped eighth grade." I whispered.

"Sweetheart you are much too young to live on your own. You'll need a worker's permit to get a job. Your employer will want to know where you live and they'll pay you with a check. You need toiletries, food, clothes, and a better place to live. Foster families can be really great. Our parents fostered all of us before adopting us. I wouldn't trade my family for the world." Rosalie attempted to sway me.

"I know what I'll need, and I know what happened to kids in foster care. Being shipped from home to home, most teenagers never get adopted. A lot of kids get abused in the homes they live in. Why leave a place nobody cares about me to go to a place that I might be hurt at? If I can, I would like to stay in school. I don't care if I make good grades, but I'd like to get my diploma. If I have to drop out to work I am okay with that, though. Food is my first priority. I can get most of the toiletries I need from the guidance office. They always have free stuff. Plus, I know that the school donates the lost and found items to Good Will on the last day of each month. If I go right before the end of school that day, I can rack up on free clothes. I have enough food and cash to last me until I can find a job if I stretch it. Ramen Noodles cost about a quarter a pack, and if I eat two packs a day starting three days from now… That would last forty three days. But that doesn't count other unexpected expenses. I could probably last three to five weeks. By then I should be able to find a job. I don't need much- just enough to buy food." I would take things one day at a time.

"Two packs of noodles a day is not nearly enough food for you to stay healthy." Rosalie argued as we got out of the car.

"It is more than I've been eating." I clutched my bag closer to me as we headed in the school. I hated crowds of people.

"That is not a good enough excuse. 5794 is my lunch number. If you refuse to go to the authorities I won't make you, but you have to let me help you. My family and I have more than enough money to pay for your breakfast and lunch. You can get extra so you have enough to eat a decent dinner." I thought the offer over. Could I afford to decline it? Three meals a day sounded like a good deal to me. "And you have to let me chauffer you. Young ladies shouldn't walk down the street alone." Free food and transportation.

"You should ask your parents first before giving away their money. What's in it for you?" I asked.

"The satisfaction of helping a friend in need, plus it gives me something to do instead of sitting around the house all day." I pulled my hair in front of my shoulders to hide my face. She had said I was her friend. "Go get yourself a good breakfast and I'll call Esme to make sure everything is alright with her." We had reached the hallway to the cafeteria. "5794, get whatever you want." She said and turned around. The line was short and I was soon faced with trays of hot food. A lot of kids claimed that school food was gross, but it looked like a five star restaurant to me. I got two biscuits with butter and jelly, an apple, and a small bottle of milk. I punched in my number for the cafeteria lady and she didn't even look at the name that popped up before assisting the next kid. I sat down at an empty table and dug into my breakfast. I had to pace myself so I wouldn't make myself sick. Still I ate quickly. It was so good that I licked my fingers to make sure I hadn't missed a single crumb. I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten hot food rather than room temperature scraps.


End file.
